Welcome, PVish! I echo the other sentiments here-- nothing against self- or vanity-publishing as long as you know what you're getting into.
And Sparhawk: Thanks so much for not hating me for the advice.
I had a writer-friend (she died a few years ago) who had about the worst grammar skills you can imagine... but she hired a copy editor to fix up her screenplays before she submitted them. Her storytelling skills were excellent; she just never really learned proper grammar. I'm learning that's more common than I had realized.
A few notes:
If you'll allow me to furrow my brow and become Professor Mcsomethingjenna for a moment, we're meandering all over the place in this topic. I know the regulars don't mind it, but anyone who's new to this thread is going to be confused as all get-out. Please try to keep the off-topic stuff to a minimum here (move it to Office Party or Take it Outside) and let's stick to the issues.
Correct: I have not deleted any of Shemp's posts here except for one topic that I closed (where I deleted everyone's posts, having nothing to do with Shemp).
Diana: Way to go on the TV taping!
All: I'm in hyperdeadline mode right now (fertility book due next week, Celine edits due at the same time) and I just got two new book offers yesterday. I'll still be around, but probably less than usual for the next week or so.
As a bit of what I hope will be inspiration, I wanted to take a second to tell you the recipe for my success...
I began with screenplays. Wrote about 10 of them, landed a few agents (most scammers, two legit) and a manager. Multiple options and contest wins, but no productions. I kept at it and at it, but ultimately realized I was going to have to make some money while I awaited my box office debut.
So I wrote for magazines. For the longest time, I remember being stalled at about $100 an article. I had steady work from small publications, but it took me a while to build my clips and learn the ropes and which rules to break. Eventually I was making a good living just writing for magazines, e-zines, and greeting cards.
Then I e-published my first book-- a guide to writing for magazines! It sold well for an e-book. But I wanted it to be a print book and I couldn't find a publisher... too crowded a category, they told me. I did land a legitimate book agent, though.
Because of my magazine clips, I got hired to write two children's books for Mason Crest. The money was small, and no royalties (work-for-hire), but I finally had my first book credit.
At the same time, I wrote to a publisher who published books about kids with disabilities and asked if they ever considered doing a kids' book on Down syndrome. They held onto my resume and letter for a year before hiring me. Really small money. No royalties. Work-for-hire. I don't regret it.
My advances on the next several books (for small- to mid-sized presses) were in the $2500-5000 range. I was writing at least 4 books a year, often more, while supplementing my income with magazine work and greeting card work.
Now I don't even need to write book proposals... I get calls from agents regularly, saying, "Editor so-and-so told me you were terrific, and I have a client who needs a ghostwriter/co-author..." My advances are now in the $50,000 range, plus royalties. I'm about to start my 15th and 16th book.
Oh... and I sold that e-book.
I wound up rewriting it completely and expanding it because so much time had elapsed between the e-version and the print version. It's now Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer.
My point in all of this is that paying your dues can feel like it's taking forever, and those big publishers can look so unattainable. They aren't. It takes one break. One break after busting your butt and working on your craft and proving yourself reliable and easy to work with.
I could very easily have fallen for PA's lines if they had been around a few years sooner, when I was a little greener. My e-book could easily have been a PA book. And that wouldn't have changed anything that came afterwards. It was a pretty linear progression-- small projects with low sales and crap pay to medium-sized deals to great deals. In other words, all of you who are feeling blue about this PA mess, know that you can pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on from this. You can make a career of this. I didn't have any connections or special expertise; I just kept working at it until I got good enough for the bigger houses to take notice.
Oh, and I submitted like crazy.
Your time as a new writer is best spent looking for more fruitful opportunities, not trying to eke out another handful of sales of your PA book. Set it aside (you can revisit it later), work on something else, and don't let this experience stop you from writing or submitting elsewhere. You deserve to find out what real publishing is about, from a publisher who really will "take a chance" on you. You can get there. And your progression may be a lot faster than mine. Keep the faith.
Over and out.